Utah Trip

My little cousin, Mattie, is all grown up and got married. I can hardly believe she is married since I FULLY remember when she was born (I am getting old.) Her wedding was soooooo much fun and gave us the perfect excuse to escape the heat to Salt Lake City for a week. Here is a rundown of our trip:

Friday:

We left for Cedar City when Matt got home from work. We made the trip in our best time ever: 7 1/2 hours. Pretty impressive with 4 kiddos in tow! We pulled in at about 2am Utah time and set our clocks an hour ahead--we were official Utahan's for a week!

Saturday:

Spent lots of time with Matt's fam visiting, playing, walking and of course at the "Pizza Factory."

Sunday:

Made the drive to Sandy. It has been over a year since I have been home, it was good to be back! The drive took longer than anticipated so we missed Church with my dad, but Jess' fam and Ju and Jax were able to make it with him. My Dad made a fabulous dinner and we spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing games. My fam and Jess' fam all stayed at my Dad's house filling it to the brim, but guaranteeing some good old fashioned family fun! :) Our days were packed, but my dad was able to fit in lots of trips to the park and playing in the front yard.

Monday:

LAGOON! I haven't been to Lagoon since the summer after high school. I was, probably, more excited than anyone to go. It was awesome! There have been some changes, but some things are EXACTLY the same (very nostalgic!) My kids loved it too. The whole day was a blast, but 2 moments stood out:

#1 Trent riding the rides

Trent has been to Disneyland and he is used to being able to sit on my lap or right next to me while we go on "Pirates", "Teacups", etc. Lagoon's kiddie land is WAY different! The kids just go on the rides themselves. We walked right up to the bumper cars and let Trent get on. He was happy as a clam just sitting in the car and then the ride KICKED into gear! It jerked him back and he was off! His face was PRICELESS! I am chuckling to myself just typing about it now. It was a mix of surprise, excitement and the purest joy you could ever imagine. It is a gigantic understatement to say that Trent LOVED Lagoon!

#2 Seth rode the "Colossus"

Lagoon has added many rides and that is all fine, but the 2 rides I HAD to go on were the "Colossus" and the "White Roller coaster"--the best rides they had when I was growing up. I did go on both of them and, as a matter of fact, Ju and I got the FRONT ROW on the the "Colossus" (SCORE!) Aside from the little bit of dizziness I had (I repeat: I am getting old), they were exactly as I remembered them!

I was so excited after riding the "Colossus" that Matt, Ben, my Dad and Wade decided to go. Seth wanted to go too, but the minimum height requirement is 45 inches. Seth is about 41 inches. My dad decided he would try it and grabbed Seth's hand and in true John Rasmussen fashion, walked right past the lady who measures the kids like he owned the place and she let him through! Holy cow! It was exciting!

I was screaming to Matt to be sure to, "hold onto Seth tightly and make sure the lap bar is low enough!" I was freaking out, but excited all in one! Seth said, "he liked it , but didn't want to go again." :) No wonder--It is a roller coaster that has 2 upside down hoops! It was an awesome day! This pic is the whole clan in front of the "Colossus":Ampa and the babies:
More fun at "Lagoon":

Tuesday:

I spent the day with Bees and Okubo and their darling kids followed by dinner, with just the mom's, talking until the wee hours of the morning. I love those girls and am so thankful for their friendship to me. We have been friends for so many years and through so much together.

Wednesday:

This should have been Wade's last day of school, but he was happy to miss it :). He told me that, "he didn't mind at all and was too excited to be in Utah anyway." We loved his kindergarten teacher, Mrs Willmes, she was amazing and taught our little guy so much! We will never forget her and hope Seth gets her when he goes to kindergarten too.

Mattie took out her endowments this night and it was really neat to be with her and my family in the Temple.

Thursday:

Wedding Day! A fantastic day filled with family, family, family! We had a blast!! Congrats to Mattie and here new husband Erich! They were sealed in the Bountiful Temple and it was a beautiful ceremony. The best part, however, was being together with the Rasmussen's! Lots of memories growing up with these cousins and now a lot of us have kids of our own. I LOVED chatting and catching up with my family. It is fun to watch. The above pic was the best I could get of mine and my sister's kids. Their outfits matched the wedding colors, but at this point they were VERY done with pictures...as you can tell. :)

Friday:

Today, we took the kids to the Children's Museum at "Gateway Mall." Of course, they loved it and we loved that it provided hours of entertainment for our kids :).



I also loved that I fit in a little bit of shopping after the museum...:).

Saturday and Sunday:

Back to Cedar for more Roper fun, followed by the long drive home. It was an awesome trip and I LOVE, LOVE Utah in the summer. We will get to go back in July and I cannot wait!

Rylee's 6 months

Ohhhhhhh, I cannot believe my baby is 6 months! It is going by way, way too fast. I have, officially, put away all of her 3-6 month clothes (actually a few weeks ago) and she is in 6-12 months already! She is a darling little chub--almost edible--and we are LOVING her to pieces more and more each day (if it is possible to love her more!)

She has hit some big milestones this month.

She is sitting up, eating baby food (so far does not like rice cereal or peas), sleeps through the night most nights (and loves to sleep on her side)and had her bottom 2 teeth erupt. Phew! She has been busy this month!

Her well check went well and here are her stats:

Weight: 16lbs 8oz (61%)

Height: 26.5 in (70%)

Head: 16.75 in (47%)

She is, still, such a good baby and we are sooooo happy she is in our family!

Swimming, Swimming in the Swimming Pool

If you live in AZ, it is nonnegotiable that you know how to swim. With our 110+ degree weather, the pool is the only relief most days. Like most kids, mine like to go swimming. I had a problem this year though: 4 kids 6 and under. Wade is good, but the other 3 range from "cannot swim at all" to "could maybe swim to save their life." How on Earth am I going to take 4 kids to the pool when I only have 2 arms and eyes and 3 unsafe kids? My friend, Kristy, had my answer: ISR(Infant Swimming Resource.)

It is an amazing program that teaches the child to float on their back if they ever feel in danger in the water and then to eventually swim, float, swim to safety. Children as young as 6 months can start. It was SOOOO neat! Trent, my barely 2 year old, was swimming across the pool. Seth, who wouldn't kick his legs to save his life (literally!), was swimming across the pool!

Seth was swimming in 2 weeks and Trent learned in 3. After Seth got the basics down, his teacher started to teach him swim strokes.




Before the instructor deems the child safe in the water, the child has to come fully clothed in summer clothes one day and winter clothes another. I cannot even describe to you what it felt like to see my baby in the water fully clothed. It was a bunch of weird emotions. I was terrified because it was how it would be if had fallen into a pool or lake and was drowning, but then I felt relief that he was able to control the situation and float, swim, float to the side of the pool to safety. Crazy!

I have already been to the pool with my "swim safe" children and I am so happy I did this program! Next year, Trent will do a refresher and Rylee will take the course. I feel so safe and relieved that I know about ISR!